- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,198,874
- Reaction score
- 59
At the time he went down with a fractured hamate bone, Ryan Jeffers had been one of the most productive players in the Twins’ lineup and was one of the top offensive catchers in baseball.
There were questions, naturally, as to how the Twins would replace that production, especially considering veteran back-up Victor Caratini had gotten off to a sub-par offensive start to his season.
But behind the scenes, Caratini was working, tinkering with his mechanics as he tried to become the hitter he had been the previous two seasons in Houston.
The results recently have given the Twins plenty of cause for optimism.
“He has been very crucial, especially when you lose your frontline guy in Jeffers and then Victor is able to step in,” manager Derek Shelton said. “I think on the offensive side of the ball, he struggled early on. We knew at some point, you look at the baseball card after eight years, he has been able to perform. I think we’re seeing him start to level that back out.”
Caratini hit .221/.312/.273 in April/March. Those numbers all plummeted in May (.143/.261/.214). Everything has changed for him in June. Entering Monday, the catcher was hitting .415/.500/.732 with a 1.232 OPS in 13 games this month. He had 17 hits entering Monday, including four doubles, three home runs and 10 runs batted in.
The biggest change, Caratini said, was working with his hands, trying to get them back into the position that they had been in Houston.
“We found out that I’m moving my hands a little bit forward, and that’s when the hitting coaches told me, ‘Hey, your hands are little different than the last two years,’ and that’s when I make the adjustment,” Caratini said.
It has paid off.
While the expected statistics have suggested he would have better numbers this season, now he’s finally getting the results to match.
“I’ve been working all year long with the hitting coaches and just trying to find myself,” Caratini said. “In May, I got a bad stretch and just kept doing my work with the hitting coaches, and everything went well.”
Could Matt Wallner soon be forcing his way back into the Twins’ plans? Or maybe Alan Roden?
After being demoted to Triple-A in May for a reset, Wallner endured a slow start at that level. But lately, he has been tearing up Triple-A pitching and garnering attention in the process.
In 17 games in June, Wallner is hitting .342/.392/.808 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs.
“Wally has taken a little bit of time, but it’s good to see the quality of the contact, the way he’s swinging the bat,” Shelton said. “It’s definitely encouraging.”
Meanwhile, fellow left-handed outfielder Alan Roden was named the International League Player of the Week in his first week since coming off the injured list. Roden injured his shoulder two months ago, but he went 10 for 18 (.556) with four home runs, seven RBIs and nine runs scored last week.
Byron Buxton has moved into the top three American League outfielders in voting for the All-Star Game after appearing fourth in the first balloting update. … Top prospect Walker Jenkins (shoulder) was activated from the Triple-A injured list. Jenkins has been on the IL since May 5. … The Twins sent Mick Abel (elbow) for magnetic resonance imaging on Monday but did not have the results of that as of pregame.
Continue reading...
There were questions, naturally, as to how the Twins would replace that production, especially considering veteran back-up Victor Caratini had gotten off to a sub-par offensive start to his season.
But behind the scenes, Caratini was working, tinkering with his mechanics as he tried to become the hitter he had been the previous two seasons in Houston.
The results recently have given the Twins plenty of cause for optimism.
“He has been very crucial, especially when you lose your frontline guy in Jeffers and then Victor is able to step in,” manager Derek Shelton said. “I think on the offensive side of the ball, he struggled early on. We knew at some point, you look at the baseball card after eight years, he has been able to perform. I think we’re seeing him start to level that back out.”
Caratini hit .221/.312/.273 in April/March. Those numbers all plummeted in May (.143/.261/.214). Everything has changed for him in June. Entering Monday, the catcher was hitting .415/.500/.732 with a 1.232 OPS in 13 games this month. He had 17 hits entering Monday, including four doubles, three home runs and 10 runs batted in.
The biggest change, Caratini said, was working with his hands, trying to get them back into the position that they had been in Houston.
“We found out that I’m moving my hands a little bit forward, and that’s when the hitting coaches told me, ‘Hey, your hands are little different than the last two years,’ and that’s when I make the adjustment,” Caratini said.
It has paid off.
While the expected statistics have suggested he would have better numbers this season, now he’s finally getting the results to match.
“I’ve been working all year long with the hitting coaches and just trying to find myself,” Caratini said. “In May, I got a bad stretch and just kept doing my work with the hitting coaches, and everything went well.”
Over in St. Paul
Could Matt Wallner soon be forcing his way back into the Twins’ plans? Or maybe Alan Roden?
After being demoted to Triple-A in May for a reset, Wallner endured a slow start at that level. But lately, he has been tearing up Triple-A pitching and garnering attention in the process.
In 17 games in June, Wallner is hitting .342/.392/.808 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs.
“Wally has taken a little bit of time, but it’s good to see the quality of the contact, the way he’s swinging the bat,” Shelton said. “It’s definitely encouraging.”
Meanwhile, fellow left-handed outfielder Alan Roden was named the International League Player of the Week in his first week since coming off the injured list. Roden injured his shoulder two months ago, but he went 10 for 18 (.556) with four home runs, seven RBIs and nine runs scored last week.
Briefly
Byron Buxton has moved into the top three American League outfielders in voting for the All-Star Game after appearing fourth in the first balloting update. … Top prospect Walker Jenkins (shoulder) was activated from the Triple-A injured list. Jenkins has been on the IL since May 5. … The Twins sent Mick Abel (elbow) for magnetic resonance imaging on Monday but did not have the results of that as of pregame.
Related Articles
- Saints fall to Storm Chasers in wild series finale
- Twins use late rally to defeat Diamondbacks in series finale
- With Mick Abel setback, the bullpen games continue — sort of
- Twins’ offense explodes in win over Diamondbacks
- Matt Wallner stars as Saints top Omaha in 10 innings
Continue reading...
